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Rebecca has always loved listening to her grandmother's stories about Briar Rose. However, the old woman's astonishing and hard-to-believe admission that she "is" Briar Rose sets Rebecca on an unforgettable path of self-discovery that will change her life forever. Copyright (c) Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.

Opinion

From Library Staff

The word "haunting" only begins to touch on the feel of this tale. The real world version of the Sleeping Beauty tale that our narrator's grandmother experienced is slowly uncovered during this dark and utterly engrossing multiple-point-of-view story.

From the critics

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Lyrical writing, haunting, sparse and beautiful. Not unlike Night, it give the bitter truth of the holocaust. Not unlike Anne Frank it showcases the hope that remains lightly flickering even amidst endless despair.

What a wonderful story, of a search for family history, of the horror of the holocaust, and of the hope of a girl's belief in a fairy tale passed down through generations... always telling but disguising the truth.

I loved this book! So much kept you interested in it, from the mystery of who Gemma was to the fairy tale of her sleeping beauty I found it hard to put down. I highly recommend it, especially for people who enjoy learning about the holocaust.

I stumbled across this book and will now be recommending it to everyone I know. I think (94% sure) this was the best book I've read so far this year. Almost from the start I was crying and didn't stop until it was over. A beautiful story that will pull you in and make you feel for times that many won't easily talk about. Yolen, in my opinion, really weaved fiction and reality into a gripping story.

Summary

Becca grew up listening to her grandmother, Gemma, retell the story of Briar Rose (also known as Sleeping Beauty) over and over again. Now that Becca is older, she visits Gemma in the nursing home nearly everyday. One of the last things that Gemma says to Becca before she passes is "I am Briar Rose." Knowing that Briar Rose was only a story, but believing in her grandmother, Becca sets out on a journey to find out where Gemma came from and how she came to America in the midst of World War II.